The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-23
THE LATE DIR. CURRY.
"A Rare Humorist-Hls Peculiar Views About
Resurrection and Bishops.


New York Herald.
He the Nestor of Methodisrn.r That is
lifting characterization of the Rev. Dr. Daniel
Curry. who has just passed away, after nearly
hair century of service in the Methodist min
lstry Was he in other ways remarkable mana
What question: II ever q remarkable man
lived It was Daniel Curry, and there is hardly
Methodist preacher in America who will not
tell you the same thing. Men of his calibre and
temperament cannot hide their light under a
bushel. To his co-relgonists he was as farnil-
lar figure as Dean Swift was to the courtiers
OF Queene Anne as Father Mathew was to
his ubiquitous disciples. But let ope of his old
friends and comrades paint psn-picture of
him
No one can do this with finer and truer deli
cacy than Rev. DIR. Morehouse. who is in charge
OF the East Seventeenth street Methodist
Church. For he has known and loved DIR. Curry
as long and as we'll as hs has known and loved
any one, and the tender manner in which he
spoke of his dead friend to Herald reporter
showed how sincerely he regretted his loss.
Sitting in his study and surrounded all sides
by learned theological tones, he about
prepare his sermon for to-day. when he was
called upon to speak about DR.. Curry. He COM
piled willingly. and began by describing his
friend as the Nestor OF Methodism. Then he
went on:
His personal character was strong vigorous
and unyielding. and he able to hold his
own against any AS a humorist he
very great and in quickness of repartee he
ceiled most men. Deatme. how many am using
things he has said during his life. / wish
could recall some of them for you, but cannot
just
He was one of the strongest anti slavery men
and did much to further the cause. If he
grasped principle he held to it like grim
death and fought for it with all his might.
1.-TWO characteristic stories are told about
him just before he died. A friend asked him
some days ago what he thought about the doc
trIne of future punishment Note how the
strong character of the man is displayed in his
answer. The whole drift of the New Testa-
ment teachings point TO terrible punishment
for the wicked truly to unendiug hap
piness for the good he replied, without the least
hesitation, and it is of the utmost Importance
that ministers should feel the force of this
solemn truth and impress it upon their f1ocks
About the came time, being very feeble ne
turned to friend who was sitting by his bed
side and said: 1 had dream last nj ght, and in
the dream | saw strange vision. /: seemed to
me that had suddenly appeared before God,
and that He looked at me sternly and asked,
well, what have you got 70 say for yoursefl'
and while stood dumfounded before the great
Judge, knowing not what reply make, Jesus
Christ appeared and exclaimed: Il am here to
answer for Daniel Curry'
ION the cardinal doctrines of the church the
Doctor was sound: but he held peculiar views
minor points. For example, ne did not wholly
accept the church's doctrines about resurrection,
the end of the world, and episcopacy. He did
not believe that mans body would rise again in
the accepted sense, and he held that some of the
biblical illusions to the end OF the world did not
refer 30 that event at all. AS regards bishops,
he looked on them in the light of unnecessary ap-
Denddges. If it were not for this view he would
have died bishop. But, as | said before,
all cardinal points he was eminently sound,
and good a churchman as there is in Amer
ican
DIR. Morehouse then asked how it hap
pened that the editorshp of the Christian Adyo-
cate. which DR.. Curry had held for several years,
had been taken away from him. His reply
that change deemed necessary and that
DR.. Buckley. the present editor, had proved
eruinently worthy of the confidence placed in
him.
II don't deny he continued 'sthat DR.. Curry
felt the blow keenly, but the fact is a good many
persons noticed that the peculiar views of which
have spoken had taken possession of him. and
were afraid that he would try to the Chris
tian Advocate means of expounding them.
But the less said on this subject the better. DIR.
Buckley is a frst-rate editor. and Dr. Curry, in
spite of his few peculiar notions, was always
orthodox and able churchman. And it is worth
uotng that he retained his intellectual faculties
up to the last. and seemed to work vigorously
in his later years when he was young man."
In 1885 DR.. Curry became editor of the Metno-
dist Review, and retained that position until his
death. His editorial work, however. did not
occupy all his time. Not only has he contrib
uted large number of articles to church peri
odicals. but he has also written "a Life of
Wiclffe, i" "a Life Of Bishop D. w. Clark" and
a History of the Metropolitan City of Amer
ica."
Altogether, it is safe say that no more Wig
orous original or fruitful mind has appeared in
American Methodism Tor long time. and that
there hundreds like Dr. Morehouse, who
feel that they have lost valued friend and one
to whom it will not be easy to find successor